Car-axle box



A. A. WEBER.

GAR AXLE-Box.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

Patented July 28,1896.

m w l o l a 1 6 5 a; u w TW J a 0 a m M 4 WITNESSES (No Model.) 2Sheets-Sheet 2.

' A. A. WEBER.

CAB. AXLE BOX.

Patented July 28,1896.

INVENTOR fl J7. 7/615: r f

1E Attorney WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT AUGUST YVEBER, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

CAR-AXLE BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 564,856, dated July 28,1896.

Application filed July 27,1895. Renewed June 13, 1896. Serial No.595,498. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALBERT AUGUST WEBER,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of San Francisco, in thecounty of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Car- Axle Boxes; and I do declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,and. to figures of ref erence marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

Figure 1 is a central vertical section through car-axle box withinvention applied thereto, brush and actuating parts being shown infull. Fig. 2 is a section on line x a, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section online y y, Fig. 1, capplates 17 and 18 removed. Fig. at is a front viewof one of yokes. Fig. 5, is a similar view of the other yoke. Fig. 6 isa rear view of yoke shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a plan view of axle-box,cap-plates, and top spring 20 removed. Fig. 8 is a perspective view ofcapplates fastened. Fig. 9 is a perspective view of box-cover.

This invention is designed to provide a dust-proof car-axle box; and itconsists in the novel construction and combination of parts, all ashereinafter described, and pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, the numeral 1 designates acar-axle box having therein a lubricant-chamber 2 and a brass or bearing3 for the car-axle 4. 5 is the cover of said box, which is formed at itsupper edge with a beveled inclined flange 6, which engages over abeveled rib or flange 7 on the top of said box. Near the lateral edgesof the cover on its inner face are secured strips 7 which fit neatlywithin the opening in the end of the box, while the marginal portions 8outside of said strips seat neatly upon the inclined ends of the lateralwalls of said box. Between said strips 7 near the bottom edge of thecover, is a transverse strip 9, whose lower edge is beveled, as shown at10, to form with the cover a seat to receive and fit closely the bottombeveled edge 11 of the opening in the box. The object in view in theabovedescribed construction of the cover is to secure a perfectly closefit which will prevent dust from entering the box and the lubricant fromescaping therefrom.

The inner end of the box is formed at its lateral edges with theprojecting flanges 12, which form between them a seat for a gasket orpacking device of the construction now to be described. This gasketconsists of two plates or yokes 13 of similar form, having each theapproximately semicircular bearing 14 and block 15 secured thereto.These two plates 13 are applied to each other reversely, the arms of onepiece fitting neatly the lateral edges of the block 15 of the oppositepiece, with the two semicircular bearings 14 uniting to form a completebearing which is de-. signed to fit neatly the axle 4.

16 designates two springs,which are secured one to the face of the yokepiece or plate 13 nearest the car-wheel and the other to the block 15 ofthe other of said pieces or plates. These springs are engaged by thesliding cappieces 17 and 18 to press the two plates or pieces 13 intoclose contact with each other and with the seat. 19 designates similarsprings,which are placed at the lateral edges of the gasket and againstthe inner faces of the flanges 12. 20 is a spring which is secured tothe upper edge of one of the yoke pieces or plates 13 and which isengaged by the horizontal flange 23 on the upper edge of the cap-plate17 to hold said piece or plate in close contact with the axle. areformed at their lateral edges with guideways 21, which slide upon ribsor guides 22 of the flanges 12. Each of said plates is cut away at 22 tofit the axle, and the said flange 23 of the upper plate 17 fits over adust-strip 23, secured to or formed on the top of the box.

24 designates suitable fastening devices, by means of which said plates17 and 18 are secured to each other.

25 designates a lubricating-brush whose shaft 26 is journaled to rotatein lugs 26* of a slotted plate or bracket 27, which is fastened to thebottom-of the box underneath the car-axle and its brass by means of abolt 28, which engages the slot, of the plate and is secured by a nut 29upon the outside. On

Said cap-plates ICO the outer end of the shaft 26 is fixed aratchetwheel 30.

31 is a lever which is fulcrumed at its lower end upon a pin or stud 32of the plate or bracket 27, and whose upper portion has an elongatedslot 33, which engages a wrist 34 on the end of the car-axle. Carried bya stud of said lever 31 is a pawl 35, which is held in engagement withthe ratchet -wheel by means of a spring 36. 37 is a gravity-pawl,

which prevents said ratchet-wheel from turning backward.

It will be readily understood that the rotation of the car-axle will,through the wrist 34c, actuate the lever 31 and pawl to cause astep-by-step rotation of the brush 25. brush takes up the lubricant inthe chamber 2 and applies it to the surface of the-caraxle, thus keepingthe latter properly lubricated so long as anyoil remains inthe saidchamber.

Thefeature of the -slot,which is engaged by the bolt 28, not onlypermitsthe proper a'dj-us'tn ent of the brush with relation to theaxle-journal, but l'U"kl;lSO p6I1I1ll)S'tlIe bracket 2-7 to bemovedend'wise toward the outer end of the box, where the brush-shaftcanbe'lifted out of bearings and a'n'ew brush put'i-n.

Inasmuch as the brushes becomeworn or unfi t for use after some time, isdesirable to renew them, and'werefthe bracketfixedunderneath the axle-journalit'wouldnot be an easy matter to do thisthroug'h the opening inthe outer end of the box; bu t-b'ythe provis'ionof the slot this can bereadily accomplished.

The bracket may a'lso be moved in .thisman- This ing in its inner endand the projecting flanges 12 at the lateral edges of said end, of thegasket or packing device seated between said flanges, and consisting oftwo similar plates or yokes 13, applied to each other reversely and cutaway each to form an approximately semicircular bearing-openin g 14 forthe axle, and a block 15 secured to each of the said pieces and engagedby the cut-away portion of the opposite piece, the sliding cap-plates17, 18, springs 16 seated between said capplates and the plates 13,springs 19seated between the lateral edges of the said plates 13 and theflanges 12, and a spring 20 secured to the upper edge of one of theplates 13, and engaged by one of said cup-plates, substantially asspecified.

'2. In :a dust-proof car-axle boxgthe combination with the box having an'openimgin'its outer end, the lower edge of said opening having anoutwardr'and downward bevel, rand a beveled rib 7 secured transverselyacross the upper edge portion of the said opening, of =the-cover 5 forthe said opening, said cover having on its upper edge a beveled,inclined flange '6 which engages ever the beveled 7.,.and near eachlatera il edge fa strip which fits within the said opening, andtheit-ra-nsverse strip 9 which is securedto'the lower im ner portion ofsaid -cover between the strips 7, and which is beveled on its lower-edgeto form with the 'lower-'edge;portion-of '-th'e cover a seat :or groovewhich receives the beveled lower edge of the :said openingsubs'tantially as specified.

"In testim'onywhereof llanix my-signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT AUGUST WEBER.

Witnesses:

H. G. comstro'oK, WM. J. BEHAN.

